I combed through hundreds of pages of letters looking for clues, especially given the unusual nature of their marriage. What I found was striking: Gene Raymond had temporarily moved into the guest house at Twin Gables, while guess who moved a number of his belongings into the extra bedroom in the main house—the “guest bedroom” situated between Jeanette and Gene’s separate bedrooms on opposite ends of the second floor. If you guessed Nelson Eddy, you’re absolutely right.
Jeanette briefly mentions the near-divorce in her autobiography, but doesn’t fully reveal what triggered it. Why did Gene and Nelson nearly come to blows—and who intervened? What happened to Jeanette and Nelson’s plan to make a film together at MGM that year? The main article explores these questions in depth, drawing on original letters from 1948 (some reproduced in the article), along with photos, newspaper clippings, and other documentation that shed light on what really happened behind the scenes. With the help of 21st-century tools, I uncovered details that even surprised me.
Note: The pearl necklace Jeanette wears in the cover photo is likely the one Nelson had recently given her, as referenced in the letters.
The magazine has received rave reviews and contains some truly eye-opening revelations for anyone curious about why things began to unravel for Jeanette and Nelson in the late 1940s. I highly recommend checking it out—more information available here.
